"Unlike Lazi and her relational destructiveness, the crocodile finds things to love, dreams of what an ideal life would be like, and creates a companion for itself, however paltry. It is the crocodile who goes on to try and find others like itself and to live openly. It may seem contradictory to set this hopeful possibility in a fantasy sequence, but fantasy itself is a vital component of hope. Qiu might be unsure what fate ultimately awaits her main human character, but she is willing to make allowances that a green lizard might one day find a way to be accepted. "
-franny zhang